In 2015 in the provincial capital of Firozkoh in Afghanistan a 19 year old Afghan girl, Rukhshana, was stoned to death for committing adultery with a man much younger than her current husband who she was forcibly married to.

It is pleasing to see improvements taking place, anywhere. And, women, girls, females have had it really bad for as far back into history as one can look. Everything that can be negative has been applied to the female half of humanity in every manner possible. We talk of sexism or name someone a sexist, but that doesn't get to the real issues. Those we don't name sexists are equally guilty of sexism whether they admit to it or not - whether they know it or not. Being a misogynist is a part of being born onto this planet, whether male or female.

Misogyny is the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against females. Misogyny can be manifested in numerous ways, including social exclusions, sexual discrimination, hostility and violence against women, patriarchy, male privilege, sexual objectification (both negative and positive).

The idealization of femininity is a major tool of misogyny. It has been made to appear as a positive to praise a woman for her 'beauty', or to glorify 'motherhood', or to 'adore her', etc.

​In the various cultures of the world, women’s worth dependents completely on her sexuality and her ability to perform as a model of femininity. Success on that level is all that is required for complete and total acceptance by the entire population.

Women themselves cannot escape having the common, dominate attitudes of the society in which they live. They themselves harbor feelings of acceptance of 'male privilege' for example, or they can expect less of a female than would be expected from a male.

And now, we have a positive note. Women are learning. Women are beginning to understand the inferior role they have been forced into accepting - even if force there by 'love' and admiration. Women are gathering themselves together and speaking out... telling the truth about their deplorable circumstances.

Women are standing up in the most unlikely of places, at a beauty pageant. Beauty pageants themselves are intended to highlight the sexuality and femininity of the participants. Typically there is some pretense about talent or skill or intelligence, but nobody has ever believed in that part of the contest and no contestant ever won based upon those pretended 'merits'. Typically, a woman shows off her 'measurements'... breast, waist and hip size as if those were the features that count most in a woman. A sad example of the control of these theatrical pageants is the current president of the United States.

The Miss Universe Organization including Miss USA and Miss Teen USA was owned for nearly two decades by Donald Trump. This put him in contact with 'beauty queens' whom, we can easily imagine he groped in one fashion or another.

But, the women themselves are changing the rules. And, in doing so, are highlighting the tremendous abuse suffered by women all over the planet. The winner of the beauty contest in Peru gave her measurements as the “3,114 women victims of sex trafficking.

That is something worth mentioning while in the spotlight. Follow this link to learn about the truth as faced by women. As bad as things are in the world, it is encouraging to see a hint of movement in the right direction... and that's the truth !!!

In Peru, women competing in the Miss Peru beauty pageant protested violence against women by refusing to disclose their waist, hip and breast measurements, and instead presented statistics on the murder, rape and harassment of women.

Beauty pageant contestants in the South American country of Peru used this year’s Miss Peru contest on Sunday to bring attention to the scourge of violence against women plaguing their country.

Clad in matching gold sequined evening gowns, each woman stepped up the microphone to introduce herself. But instead of giving their bodily measurements, each contestant offered horrific statistics about violence against women in Peru.

“My name is Camila Canicoba,” said the first woman to take the microphone, “and I represent the department of Lima. My measurements are: 2,202 cases of murdered women reported in the last nine years in my country.”

Romina Lozana, who went on to win the contest, gave her measurements as the “3,114 women victims of trafficking up until 2014.”

Belgica Guerra offered, “My measurements are: the 65 percent of university women who are assaulted by their partners.”

This protest was planned. As each woman spoke, the pageant organizers flashed images of women who had been brutalized across an enormous screen. In the question and answer portion of the contest, women were asked how they would change the legal code to better protect women.

Peru has been rocked by stories of assault and violence against women over the past several years. According to Human Rights Watch, some 700 women were murdered in Peru between 2009 and 2015. One United Nations study found that more than 50 percent of Peruvian women will experience severe domestic violence in her lifetime, a statistic that launches Peru to the top of that grim category. Of Peruvian women between the ages of 15 to 24, more than one-third will experience physical violence.

Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the United Nations human rights chief, has called on the country to change its attitudes toward women. In August 2016, a massive protest swamped Lima under the hashtag #NiUnaMenos — not one less — to draw attention to women murdered in the Peruvian capital.

“This march is a cry against impunity, it’s a cry for equality and for the decent treatment of women,” Ana María Romero, Peru’s minister for women, said at the time. “It will be a milestone, it will mark a before and after. There’s more citizen awareness about women’s rights.”

But violence against women hasn’t abated in Lima.

Just a week before this year’s Miss Peru contest, the hashtag #PeruPaisdeVioladores — “Peru country of rapists” — began trending on Twitter and dividing the country with its aggressive denunciation of rape and violence.

“Although the country had been fiercely debating over the dramatic situation of violence that affects women in the country, viewers of the contest where probably not expecting to hear about it from hopeful Miss Perú contestants,” Lizzy Cantú, a journalist and former editor of a women's weekly magazine, Viù, told me by email. Cantú noted that television is still a really useful way to spread messages in Peru, social media notwithstanding.​“I have to admit it is a bit dissonant to see these beauty queens reciting grim statistics while the audience cheers at the live event,” Cantú said, noting that there hasn’t been universal embracing of the protest. “I guess what is a bit problematic is that you are still using women's measurements — bodies — to sell a message. But I do think that some messages need the widest available distribution.”

NOT just for Muslim women -- the Christian head covering is the veiling of the head by women in a variety of Christian traditions. Some cover only for public worship and some cover their heads all the time... the Biblical reference is 1 Corinthians 11:2–16. It was practiced by most Christian women until the the 20th century, and it is still done in some places, such as South Korea.